Elder Care: Is your elderly loved one having a tough time keeping up with personal hygiene?
Maybe, they fell in the tub recently and they don’t want to take a shower anymore. Maybe, your elderly loved one can’t seem to brush the back of their hair because of shoulder pain. There are many reasons why an elderly person may have trouble taking care of their hygiene. However, there are also some helpful tips for you and your elder care provider, for improving personal hygiene in the elderly.
Having a Routine
Does your elderly loved one forget to brush their teeth? Maybe, they can’t remember when they took their last shower. If your elderly loved one isn’t taking great care of their hygiene due to memory issues, it might help if you or an elder care provider worked with them on making a routine. For example, you can add the following things into their morning or evening routine:
Brushing teeth
Showering every other day or every day (whichever they prefer)
Brushing their hair after taking a morning shower
These are just some examples of what can be added to personal hygiene routines. Routines can help your elderly loved ones to know when to take care of their personal hygiene. It may even help to print out their routine and put it up on the wall.
Safety is Essential
Does your elderly loved one avoid taking care of their hygiene because they are worried about having a fall? If this is the case, there are many safety measures that can be taken to help your elderly loved ones while they are doing personal hygiene tasks.
Some of these safety measures include:
- Having you or an elder care provider help with personal hygiene tasks
- Putting down a carpet instead of a hardwood floor to prevent slips
- Having grab bars for your elderly loved one to hold onto while taking a shower
- These are some great safety tips that have helped many senior citizens. They may be able to help keep your elderly loved one safer, too.
- Do Tasks While Relaxing
Maybe, your elderly loved one just avoids personal hygiene tasks because they think these are boring. If this is the case, there are many ways your elderly loved one can do these tasks while relaxing or having a good time.
Some examples of this might include:
- Listening to music while brushing teeth
- Watching television while brushing hair
- Lighting candles while taking a bath
If your elderly loved one does these things, maybe they won’t avoid taking care of their personal hygiene.
Elder Care: Conclusion
Is your elderly loved one avoiding their personal hygiene? If so, the tips above can help them to start keeping up with their personal hygiene. If needed, you and elder care providers can help them with these tasks, as well.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Elder Care in Campbell, CA, please contact the caring staff at Reachpoint Home Care & Resources Inc. today. (408) 692-4110
Sources
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/bathing-dressing-and-grooming-alzheimers-caregiving-tips
